Englishlink Partners with Netopia in the Philippines

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Drake Training Systems Limited is set to deliver Englishlink ESL Courses & Lessons in Netopia Internet Cafes throughout the Philippines in Response to Increased Demand For Accessible English Learning Courses.

Empower people through affordable access to information and communication

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The English language has never been hotter in the Philippines. The country's growth as a hub for call and contact centers has fuelled a demand for high quality English speaker's nation-wide. Netopia and Englishlink are answering the call.

Netopia's mission is to "Empower people through affordable access to information and communication". According to Tito Chavez, VP - Marketing and Sales of Netopia: "Englishlink is an affordable and convenient online school that offers native-speaker quality English lessons". The product suits our target market of young Filipinos who need English to take part in the growing economy."

Currently, approximately 200,000 people are working in 120 contact centers in the Philippines. The future is even brighter. Industry forecasting predicts that by 2010, over 1 million Filipinos will work in the call center industry, generating US$12 billion for the economy. However, industry data indicates that of the 400,000 new graduates looking for work annually, only 2.89 percent are hired in business process outsourcing (BPO) companies and call centers. In addition, less than 3 of every 100 college graduates are hired in these businesses yearly because due to failing the qualifying exams. This is a worry for the future of the industry.

In addition to BPOs and call centres, the Philippines is becoming a popular destination for English learners, particularly from Korea and Japan.

English came to the Philippines in approximately 1898, via American troops. It is the second official language in the Philippines, alongside Tagalog. There has been recent concern though that the quality of spoken English in the Philippines is under threat. According to the International Herald Tribune:" Business chambers, foreign and domestic, have voiced concern that the decreasing quality of English could hurt the country's competitiveness." Englishlink offers a tool with which to change this situation.

Lesley Rogan, creator of Englishlink, feels the online English school can help Filipinos brush up on their skills. "When I contact a call center, I can often tell when I am speaking with to a Filipino. While many of them have very good accents, there is something in the tone that is not natural to my ear. We can help with that." Englishlink lessons provide learners with a native speaker model. The teachers focus heavily on listening and pronunciation skills. Learners can rewind a lesson clip and mimic the pronunciation of the teacher. Lesley adds: " this is a great way to become fluent in English - in a manner in which other native English speakers will happily respond to."

Netopia sells Englishlink electronic loads in all its branches nationwide.

About Drake Training Systems Limited

Drake Training Systems Limited (DTSL) delivers Englishlink, an Internet-based English as a Second Language training program. DTSL's Englishlink delivers innovative and convenient online English training to anyone in the world with broadband access. The program provides access to high quality, but affordable, English lessons delivered by native-speaker 'video' teachers.